Prime Minister Scott Morrison uses a major speech in front of regional leaders to warn the US and China against a full-blown trade war as the geopolitical contest between the two great powers intensifies.

When the world's deadliest tsunami ravaged Indonesia's northern coastline on Boxing Day in 2004, it claimed the lives of almost 170,000 people and left 62,000 farmers displaced. Now, an Australian project is helping restore fertility and profit to the land.

When it was an Australian territory, people born in what is now Papua New Guinea were automatically Australian citizens. Now, after years calling Australia home, many of them have been forced to prove their citizenship or potentially be left stateless.

With negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington appearing to have stalled, state media reports the North Korean leader has visited the test site of a new tactical weapon, hailing it as a "display of our rapidly-growing defence capabilities".

In comments which are sure to rile up China, Mike Pence stresses freedom of navigation throughout one of the world's richest sea routes and says there is no place for "empire and aggression" in the Indo-Pacific region.

South Korea uses explosives to destroy one of its frontline guard posts in the Demilitarised Zone in the latest effort to ease tensions, but in the North Kim Jong-un is busy inspecting the testing of a newly developed "tactical" weapon.

The Jerusalem question, a religious freedom report, and an inquiry into free speech at universities: Scott Morrison's political predicaments echo those of Billy McMahon, where "for every achievement and move towards new policy there was another fight, another muddle, another problem that should never have been cause for concern", writes Michelle Grattan.

Unionists mark the 80th anniversary of an iconic industrial dispute that influenced Australia's relationship with Japan, as Shinzo Abe becomes the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit Darwin since WWII.

The President's staff hit back at suggestions the 73-year-old's health is the cause of missed appointments, arguing that his "constantly punishing work schedule is proof that he is in top physical shape".